Inclusion Daily Express -- Historic Disability Rights Treaty To Go Into Effect

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Historic Disability Rights Treaty To Go Into Effect
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
April 3, 2008

UNITED NATIONS--On Thursday, Ecuador became the 20th country to ratify the first international treaty on the rights of people with disabilities.

That means that the treaty -- the International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities -- will come into effect in 30 days, on the 3rd of May.

The convention is the U.N.'s first human rights treaty of the 21st century. It was developed and negotiated over several years by delegates from more than a hundred countries. The General Assembly approved the treaty in December of 2006, and opened it up for approval by member countries last March.

More than 100 countries signed onto the treaty last year, but it needed the governments of 20 countries to ratify it before it could come into force.

Some experts said it is unusual for a treaty to be ratified so quickly.

"It is a historic moment in our quest for realization of the universal human rights for ALL persons, creating a fully inclusive society for all," said Marie Okabe, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a press statement.

The treaty includes 50 articles addressing such issues as a right to be free from forced institutionalization; to own and inherit property; participate in public and cultural life; receive an adequate standard of living; have access to affordable equipment; and to have one's privacy protected. It also calls for eliminating barriers to employment, the environment, transportation, public facilities and communication, and for developing countries to receive help to implement the treaty.

Few countries have ratified the Optional Protocol, which would allow people to petition the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities if they believe a country has violated the treaty.

The United States has not signed on to the treaty. The Bush administration announced in June of 2003 that it would not sign any international treaty protecting people with disabilities from discrimination. U.S. officials said national laws, such as the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, should cover such rights.

The American Association of People with Disabilities and other disability rights groups have encouraged advocates to contact the White House and members of Congress to pressure the administration to sign on to the treaty.

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